Thorp joined the Colonial Administrative Service and, after attending the Colonial Service Course at the University of Cambridge, was posted to Kenya in 1935 as a cadet, and served in the Kitui, Machakos, Turkana, Mombasa, Digo, Isiolo, Marsabit, Fort Hall and Nandi districts. Thorp died by drowning at Grand'Anse Mahé on 13 August 1961, along with the Financial Secretary, Maurice Boullé, trying to save Thorp's son and another boy. Both boys reached shore safely. The boys were on an inflated mattress that overturned.
East Africa & Rhodesia - 19/12/57 - Mr John Kingsmill Robert Thorp, who was received by the Queen last week upon his appointment as Governor of the Seychelles, joined the Colonial Administrative Service as a cadet in Kenya in 1935, and has served in many areas of that Colony. He was on military service with the East African Forces from 1940-42, and in 1952 went to St. Lucia as Administrator. Mrs Thorp, who was also received by Her Majesty, is a daughter of Mr & Mrs Hill, of Machakos

Machakos - John Thorp came to Kenya as a cadet in the Administration in 1935. …… In 1940 he went as District Commissioner to Marsabit when it was in the front line of the war, and he was the first administrative officer to enter Mega in Southern Ethiopia after the Italian withdrawal. He stayed in Marsabit for 3 years. From 1947 to 1950 he was at Kapsabet and dealt largely with the resettling of Nandi soldiers after their discharge from the KAR. For this work he was awarded the MBE. In 1951 he went back to Machakos, one of the picked men chosen to run that problem district, known for its overstocking, erosion and bad land use. He put all his energy into curing these ills and on his initiative the work was decentralised to substations. The intensification of effort throughout the district led to the gradual recovery of the land. Towards the end of 1952 he left on promotion as Administrator of St. Lucia in the Windward Islands where he served until 1958 when he became Governor of the Seychelles. He received a knighthood in 1959.

Hut - Drowned trying to save his son

Gazette 6 Dec 1938 Ukamba Voters List expunged